This invention relates to a trash collection receptacle for use in a compactor and more particularly to a collection bag useful in an airborne refuse compactor.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,099 there is disclosed an airborne refuse compactor in which cabin pressure is utilized to energize the device and to withdraw during compaction the liquid content of the refuse through a self-closing valve which is part of and penetrates the wall of the refuse receptacle. In the patent, the liquid is discharged into the rarefied atmosphere during flight.
It is readily seen that the receptacle to be employed in the compactor disclosed in my patent must be of generally rigid construction in order to conform to the cavity within the compactor and to accommodate the piston and the one-way valve. Thus the receptacles must occupy valuable space aboard the aircraft prior to use in the compactor or be made collapsible at a significant cost.
In addition, in the aforementioned patent, the compactor employs a piston or platen filling the entire cross section of the receptacle to compress the refuse within. After a series of cycles, when the receptacle is filled, the latter is removed. A single piston is not capable of adjusting readily to different kinds or densities of the trash over its area with the result that there is sometimes a tendency for the piston to become cocked. In addition, the single piston along with its actuating structure is complicated and heavy and contributes significantly to the weight of the compactor.